The Renaissance Costume: How Did They Do It for Real?

Wearing a renaissance costume allows girls and women the opportunity to play out of fantasy of living in a time of fairy tale princes and princesses.  These beautiful gowns provide inspiration to many but few of us realize exactly how difficult it is to wear such a gown every day.  The weight of the dress alone would be enough to make it virtually impossible to walk for any length of time.

Still, considering that the renaissance costume, if it is of an exact replica of a historical dress, would include the corset and would probably weigh as much as the dresses of the time, to wearing such an outfit provides the perfect opportunity to understand what the women of the time went through.  The corsets women had to wear word tiedso tightly that it was virtually impossible to breathe.  Women had to sit up very straight and could only take in shallow breaths.  This is a wide thinking was still prevalent at the time and had nothing to do with women’s weak disposition.  If men couldn’t breathe properly throughout the day they would most likely be fainting all the time as well.

Women were expected to be able to carry out their daily duties was carrying around a heavy gown and being unable to breathe properly.  Itisn’t a surprise that women were considered to have a delicate constitution because few people would be able to carry out their tasks without oxygen.  What is amazing is that more women didn’t die from the lack of oxygenation to the brain.

However, it is true that the down some cells are extremely beautiful and this is what makes the renaissance costumesuch a popular option for Halloween and other fancy dress occasions.  On the other hand, just like the women of the time you will need to take precautions if you intend to be true to reality.You need to keep in mind that these women were used to wearing corsets and breathing shallowly as they had been trained to do so since they were children.  You, on the other hand, are not used to the constraints of a corset so you should either make sure it isn’t tied too tightly or even forgo the corset completely.

When wearing of renaissance costume you may also find that you have difficulty walking due to the weight of the gown, especially if it is a very long skirt.  You should consider practicing walking in it before attending the event so that you don’t end up tripping over the lengthy material.  If you will soon discover my renaissance women were considered to be so elegant and ethereal.  They didn’t have a choice because the corset kept them ramrod straight while their heavy skirts made sure they could only walk very slowly.

Still, if you do decide to wear a renaissance costume this Halloween, you will surely gain a new appreciationfor the women who were forced to wear these gowns on a daily basis.